To the pleasure of the fans around the state, Rhode Island FC surprised us all with their initial roster announcements revealing that the majority of players from the Eastern Conference-winning inaugural season would be returning for 2025.

Despite this – and the addition of all-league first team midfielder Maxi Rodriguez – no squad is perfect, and Rhode Island FC is no exception. Whether it was needs that materialized during the season, or gaps left by one of the few notable departures, there are a few areas where RIFC can strengthen this squad.

You may think this team is perfect as it is… and I don’t entirely disagree, but keep in mind that with the introduction of the The USL Jägermeister Cup – based on the information that we have today – could mean at least four more fixtures than were on the schedule for last year.

Below I’ve identified a few names of newly-released Free Agents in the USL Championship who could fill a need for Rhode Island FC:

Defense

Assuming Khano sticks with a three center back formation, Rhode Island FC should look to add a left-sided, preferably left-footed, center back to replace Morris Duggan. Duggan was sensational for RIFC after joining the club on loan from Minnesota United FC in August. For me, a starting-caliber center back is the top priority signing we need to make this offseason.

If RIFC wants to add some experience to the team, Bradley Bourgeois is a 30-year old, experienced CB who has been with FC Tulsa since 2020 and has been the club captain since 2021. Bourgeois primarily played as the left center back in a back four. If they wanted to go for youth instead of experience, Abdoulaye Cissoko – a 24-year old who spent last season with Memphis 901 – is worth a look. Cissoko is right-footed but regularly played minutes as both the right and left sided center back.

With Memphis 901 folding, another player who interests me is Akeem Ward. The 28-year old played as more of a traditional left back for Memphis, so he is not a great fit for our current system. However, he IS a good player so if Khano saw him as someone who could either provide depth at left center back, and/or a defensive-minded left wing back option – he’d be a good addition to the squad.

One last name that caught my attention for a defensive addition is Alejandro Fuenmayor. When Phoenix Rising FC came to Beirne last season Fuenmayor spent a lot of the match playing in front of my section and I liked his game. He’s played both center back roles in a back four for Phoenix Rising, so could be an option.

I would also love to see Kofi Twumasi return as a depth center back option – but would really like to see us add a fourth starting-caliber center back for the purpose of competition and rotation, and have Twumasi be the depth option in the event of an injury and occasional rotation.

Midfield

Have you lost your damn mind? This is the best midfield in the league. It requires nothing, and nobody. If we can bring back at least one – or preferably both – of Isaac Angking and Amos Shapiro-Thompson, that is perfectly adequate for depth.

They’ll likely already be up against one of Clay Holstad, Marc Ybarra, or Zach Herivaux as the first midfield sub off the bench… and even then, they’ve got the formidable Joe Brito to contend with.

I’ll leave wing back up to Khano to solve whether we need depth at this position… he was generally able to find cover when Kwizera or Turnbull were unavailable using existing defenders and midfielders during the season. For example – Noah Fuson had some solid performances playing at left wing back in Kwizera’s absence, and Frank Nodarse had a bit of a late-season renaissance playing as the right wing back in place of Stephen Turnbull.

Forwards

There’s a couple of ways to tackle this, and it’s why they pay Khano the big bucks. On one hand, the departure of Mark Doyle – underwhelming as he may have been, in the minds of many – leaves a gaping hole in our forward depth.

I think we have to assume that Khano will look to start the season with both JJ Williams and Albert Dikwa in the Starting XI – even if some of our best football of the year came with Dikwa on the bench. While I’d personally like to see us explore this option of having Dikwa as a SUPER super sub, I think it’s incredibly unlikely to enter the season with the 2023 USL Golden Boot on the bench.

With that assumption – who could we sign to bring off the bench late in games when we are chasing a goal?

I’ll tell you who it’s not going to be: Cal Jennings. Keep dreaming.

Augustine Williams, the 27 year old forward from Indy Eleven, is the top end of the still-available forward market. He scored 10 goals in 31 appearances last season, and you would have to assume that he ends up with a starting role for another team.

Stefano Pinho is an experienced option who has been in the game and played all around the world for a long time. He’s 33 years old, but that didn’t stop him from making 30 appearances and scoring 10 goals last season either for Birmingham Legion. At this stage in his career, a depth option on a championship-contending team could be the perfect landing spot for him.

Elvis Amoh, previously with Detroit City FC, is another experienced option at 32 years old and has been bouncing around the USL since 2019. Last season, Amoh made 25 appearances, mostly off the bench, and added three goals and four assists – exceeding Doyle’s production in roughly the same number of minutes. Keep in mind, we just added Maxi Rodriguez from DCFC and Coach does love to add players in pairs.

Again, looking at the opposite end of that spectrum, Tristan Trager is an exciting 25-year old talent. For anyone who remembers our game against Monterey Bay, the way the commentary was talking about this kid you would’ve thought he was the second coming of Maradona himself. Trager scored 8 goals in 20 appearances, but seems to have fallen out of favor later on in the season. I’m honestly not sure why, but do know that the Monterey Bay organization in general was going through all kinds of turmoil late last season.

It’s entirely possible that none of these signings come to fruition, but they’re some of the players, in positions of need, that caught my eye using John Morrissey’s invaluable USL Championship Roster Tracker. Whether we get our football wishes or not, I hope everyone enjoys a happy, healthy holiday season with their loved ones.